Dallas Mavericks strike out on Howard, pick up Calderon

After much thought, Dwight Howard chose to join James Harden and the Rockets

Less than 24 hours ago, we were talking about another three-headed monster team if Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo joined Dirk Nowitzki in Big D. Now, the Mavs have moved on to plan B.

Dwight Howard had made an announcement around 7:00 p.m. ET on July 5 that he would join the Houston Rockets, but just about three hours later, he backed out and told the L.A Lakers he was 50-50 on joining the Rockets or returning to Hollywood. Then as of 10:48 p.m ET, Howard told Mitch Kupchak and the Lakers that “he would not return to L.A,” and that he would sign a deal with Houston, but nothing is for sure until he actually signs with the Rockets.

Then there was the rumored Rondo trade. Some speculation was that the Celtics were interested in rookie Shane Larkin and even had asked for Dirk for the all-star point guard, but around 10:00 p.m ET on July 5, sources had reported that the Mavs and former Raptor and Pistons point guard Jose Calderon agreed on a 4-year deal worth $29 million.

The newest member of the Dallas Mavericks, Jose Calderon, after signing a 4-year, $29 million deal

Calderon, one of the most underrated guards in the league, has averaged 10.1 points, 7.2 assists, 48 percent field-goal shooting and 40 percent 3-pt shooting during his nine-year career. After eight years in Toronto, Calderon was dealt to the Pistons in part of the Rudy Gay trade this past season. He led the league last season with 46 percent shooting from downtown.

Mark Cuban and the Mavs now have a point guard that can shoot and run an offense effectively, while also helping Larkin become a better player. The last piece of the puzzle remains at the center position. With Howard out of the mix, there are a few free agent centers that could really help the Mavs contend in the West once again. With Chris Kaman, Bernard James, Elton Brand and Brandan Wright all free agents, there is a huge gap to fill for the five spot. It seems the Mavs won’t bring back Kaman, and Brand has been talking to the Knicks. I like Wright’s length and James showed signs of being a decent starter, but the Mavs are looking for a legitimate 82-game starter that can defend, grab boards and be a compliment to Dirk.

Some free agents that they could sign are Andrew Bynum, Nikola Pekovic and Samuel Dalembert. When healthy, Bynum and his ridiculous fro gives Howard a run for his money for best in the league, but I don’t see Cuban dealing with him after what he did to J.J Barea in the 2011 playoffs (Bynum fouls Barea hard). Pekovic was a beast in the paint for the T’Wolves last season, averaging career-highs with 16.3 points and 8.8 rebounds in 31 minutes per game, but Cleveland has shown much interest in signing the Yugoslavia-native. The Mavs haven’t shown interest in Dalembert, but I believe the longtime 76er, who played for the Bucks this past season, could be a nice fit for Big D, especially on the defensive side.

Finally, there’s Omer Asik, who had a breakout campaign with Houston last season after backing up Joakim Noah for two years in Chicago. As a starter, he averaged 10.1 points and 11.7 rebounds in all 82 games. As soon as Dwight chose Houston, sources had reported that Asik, who would move to the four spot or back up Howard, wants out, feeling that his playing time and stats will take a huge hit.

The Mavericks are pushing hard for Asik, as they have roughly $13-17 million in cap space to work with. They could still offer Shawn Marion and his $9.3 million, if the Rockets feel Matrix could help them in the West. Whatever the case may be, the Mavs rebounded nicely in getting Calderon, and look poised to get a bona fide center.

About Brian Gosset

Brian Gosset, who was born and raised in Hawaii, is a senior at Northern Arizona University and seeking a degree in Journalism. He is a former beat writer for the school paper, The Lumberjack. Brian currently works for the school as a Student Assistant for Athletic Communications. He loves the Dallas Mavericks, Oklahoma Sooners, Lumberjacks, Philadelphia Eagles and Hawaii Warriors. You can follow Brian on Twitter @Gosset41.

Paul M Delomel

Excellent article Brian. Question – it appears that after Mark ramped up and let the league know he was serious about doing some free-agent rebuilding (the checkbook’s open) we have been less than spectacular in rebuilding the Mavs. Your thoughts?

Brian Gosset

Very true. With that new cap space rule they put in during the lockout-shortened season, Cuban used that to make an effort in having more money to sign two or three superstars to go with Dirk. They missed out on Deron Williams last year (by dumping a lot of key members from their title team, including Tyson Chandler, which I thought was a big mistake but saw where Mark was coming from). I don’t know how much an effect it was on Williams, that Cuban missed that meeting for Shark Tank, but it certainly didn’t help. It seems players are intrigued in coming to Dallas these days. Not enough tools, I suppose and with Dirk getting old, players like Dwight want to go to a team with young guys. Looking back on it, I applaud Mark for doing what he did, but I would’ve like to keep Tyson and Jet and perhaps we’d still have them today with Dirk and Jose Calderon.